All Things CLASS

Hi. After a teacher have the children complete a sorting task. The child put it in the incorrect category. The teacher asked the group, "Is this right?" She asked Is this right for a few other cases. Where would that be scored under? Can she ask that questions to the children.? What suggestions would you give the teacher about how to make it more opened-ended? Thank you. 

Hello @Helen Galvez

Great question! According to the CLASS manual, when a teacher asks the group "Is this right?" or similar closed-ended questions, it typically falls under "Facilitating Learning and Development" in the "Classroom Organization" domain, where the quality of the interactions that encourage children's thinking and problem-solving skills is observed.

While asking closed-ended questions like "Is this right?" can prompt children to evaluate an answer, it doesn't encourage deeper thinking. To make it more open-ended and aligned with CLASS, the teacher could ask questions like:

• "What do you think this belongs with?"

• "Can you explain why you put it there?"

• "How could we sort this differently?"

• "What other categories can we come up with?"

These questions encourage children to think critically and explain their reasoning, which supports a higher level of cognitive development and engagement.

For further details on scoring and suggestions, you can refer to the CLASS manual for "Facilitating Learning and Development" and "Quality of Feedback" areas.

If you need more help with the CLASS framework, don't hesitate to reach out! 😊

Anna A.